Replace VM Only Unity & Upgrade

Greetings: Since I can't locate a description of what I'm am trying to do in any of the multiple manuals I'd thought I'd finish here:

Unity 4.2.1 VM only Exchange 2K on one server. Since this server can't handle the workload of the 1100 subscribers, have installed two new servers.

One server replacing Unity called Unity4, and one for the replacement exchange called Unity-Exch which is configured as Exchange 2003.

Programmed the AD Domain Controller on the new Unity-Exch server.

Installed Unity on the new Unity4 server.

Spent more than 4hrs on line with TAC to get the SA web page to work.

Now Unity4 is working, with the messaage store pointed to Unity-Exch. Problem is all the mailbox settings in Unity4 still list Unity as the exchange store and not Unity-Exch, AND all the messages apparently are still being routed to the original Unity server.

If I add a new mailbox it is built on the Unity-Exch server.

Having read chapter 13 of the Unity Upgrade manual, and not being able to make heads or tails from it, what is the procedure to move all the mailboxes from Unity (exchange 2000) over to Unity-Exch (2003) AND get all of the mailbox settings in Unity4 to reflect the new exchange location?

I "had" Unity 4.2 running Voicemail only with Exchange 2000 on one server.

I now have Unity 4.2 installed on a new server and I also have a second new server running Windows 2003 with Exchange 2003 and the Domain controller. (Moved to "off-box" exchange design)

"Problem" is messages are still being placed on the original unity "all-in'one" server.

Unity is shut down on the original server.

Questiion is how do I change the exchange information for the 1100 mailboxes on the new server to Unity-Exch, AND how to get all the messages/maiboxes moved from the old Unity exchange 2000 mail store to the new Unity-exch 2003 server?

So it sounds like you installed a new Unity 4.2 with off box exchange.

You probably could have done a DIRT backup of 4.2 from yoru original load, then do a DIRT restore to the new 4.2 server. Rerun the wizards to add the new Exchange server in and you should be set.

The way way you can do this, if all servers are installed in the same domain... Your Exchange servers should be in the same Org if you did this. In Exchange, you can move mailboxes between servers pretty easy, especially in 2003. Once that is done, re-run the wizard on the old server to move the mailbox deliver to the new server, or add that server in. (you will have both, old and new exchange)

So now, you have Unity Old associated to the new new Exchange 2003 server. Mailboxes moved from 2000 to 2003 and all is happy.

Now you need to move the subscriber accounts off Unity old to Unity new. Probably the bes way is to use DIRT to Export, then Import to the new. You won't need to move their mailbox, because that is done, just their subsriber settings, etc. They will have to reset their password the Dirt restore is complete.

Ho boy... Built Unity on new servers. Ran DiRT on original. Ran DiRT on new. All mailbox settings are on new. Ran Permissions Wizard three times. (don't ask. This was part of the TAC response for getting SA to function correctly). Now I have the New Exchange server/domain controller apparently doing nothing but Domain work. I have the New Unity Server doing UMR work, and I have the original Untiy/Exch server playing message store. I thought when DiRT ran, it would build all of the mailboxes on the new exchange store. As far as I can tell it didn't. So now I have three servers. Both the exchange managers (2000 on Unity and 2003 on Unity-Exch) seem to be aware of the other message store as they are both listed in the Admin group. This is why I can't tell what is going on.

If open up Exchange, do you see all your exchange servers? If you can, you have one big Domain, which is good. That means all the AD accounts are ok. Just to move the mailboxes from exchange old to exchange new.

DIRT can do (2) things. Back up the SQL database with Subscirber information and Unity settings, configs, etc. Second, it will pull each subscribers messages down from Exchange into PST files with their alias name.

If you were to run DIRT on 1000, it will take quite a while with the PST, but not long for the database and configs.

If you are in the same domain, it's really easy to move mailboxes using Exchange System Admin to move them over.

Once they are moved over, just run permissions wizard on the old to let it know you moved them. It will update the database settings for the new mailbox home server.

As far as the domain is configured.... you hope your AD guru. You need to make sure all your DNS settings are working properly for this:

- Unityold with Exchange

- Unity new

- Exchange new

- 2003 domain controller

All to talk to each other.

IF you set up a new domain for the new 2003 server and Exchange, then nothing will talk to each other. It's all manual with DIRT then.

Unity4 is "talking" to unity-exch. Looking at Unity-exch shows NO Mailboxes except the one new one we built since the move, and SMTP, System Attendant, System Mailbox, Unity Messaging System and USbms_Unity.

How so you move the mailboxes between the mailbox stores? On the Exchange 2003 System manager I have the First Admin Group with two servers, Unity and Unity4. All the mailboxes (remember this is VOICEMAIL ONLY configuration) are listed against the Unity server. I want them on the Unity-Exch server.

Thanks. It looks like more OT as I have to move all 1100+ mailboxes one at a time. Brilliant. I have to perform a SQL hack against Unity to change the HomeServer, and then follow the procedures in the reference document to move the mailbox. Good news is it can be done on multiple boxes at a time and Unity continues to function while the moves are taking place.

You can move all the mailboxes at once. Just run it afterhours and it will move the mailboxes from one server to another. You can try to time it and estimate how long it will take by moving 5 mailboxes, time it, then figure what it will take to move 1000. Then you can "set it and forget it". After the move happens, it will take AD a little bit to catch up, then also set the MWI sync to run after the move to make sure the lights are insync after the move.

Typical Laurel & Hardy. During the move, unbeknownst to me the New Exchange had the message store pointed to Drive C and not D. When C ran out of space so did the entire mailbox configuration, messages, names, etc.

So we bit the bullet and told Exchange to create the empty database, moved all the mailboxes back to the old server and then restored the old server. Lost a day's worth of messages. I now have one dBWalker error I am trying to correct before I start again.

USbms_Unity4 is missing from the global subscriber table. The "mailbox" for USBms_Unity4 is on the exchange server. How do I get Unity to recognize its new location?

after you moved to the new store, did you rerun the permissions wizard. Unity doesnt know about the new store you created. It knows about the Exchange server, but needs to know where the information store is.

Re=ran both Permissions Wizard and the Messagee Store WIzard. I directly modified the global SQL entry for the "missing" mailbox. Unity appears to be working correctly. dBWalker does keep finding strange errors. Orphaned wav files, Standard Messages disabled, etc. Also Dirt generates errors if the Show mailbox in the directory check box isn't checked. Don't know how the boxes keep unchecking themselves... Will move all the mailboxes tonight after I get confirmation that I have a current backup.